CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture (sometimes Community Shared Agriculture). Although the concept has many variations, a CSA usually involves a farmer entering into an agreement with consumers who purchase a portion of the farm’s harvest for the season. The contract is made early in the spring so that the farmer has money when it is most needed to buy seeds and supplies. This cooperation provides farmers with a more equitable return for their labour. It also helps to minimize food waste, since all of the harvest is distributed equally among shareholders. CSAs are a growing movement, contributing to a local, sustainable system of agriculture.

CSA members benefit from having weekly deliveries of fresh vegetables that are picked at peak harvest times, with all of the nutritional value that Nature intended them to have. Members have a direct contact with the grower, and can learn a lot about how food is grown and what is in season.

Our particular CSA focuses on family teamwork and deliciously fresh food. We grow food because we love to work together and because we love feeding people. Knowing that the food we grow is wholesome, and that the energy we invest has a tangible effect on the health and vitality of our members and the planet, is what sustains us.

By joining Covenant Farm CSA you receive:

• Weekly shares of fresh vegetables and herbs grown using organic methods
• Optional home delivery service
• Recipes and information on how to store and handle your produce along with news of the garden (and the gardeners)
• Prompt e-mail (or phone) response to any of your comments or questions
• An open invitation to come to the farm. We highly encourage you to see where and how your food is grown and also to meet us, your personal farmers.
• The knowledge that you are supporting a farm that is dedicated to enriching the soil and the environment while growing the best possible quality of food.

The CSA delivery season is 17 weeks, from mid-June to early October. Cost of the share is $550 plus an optional home delivery charge of $125 for the season (within a reasonable distance of the farm). Other farm products are sometimes available as basket additions: honey, homemade desserts, soaps, fresh flower bouquets, and of course we can also deliver Joël’s fresh-roasted fair-trade coffee.

A limited number of shares are available. If you would like to join, please check with us for availability and to make sure that you are in the delivery area (Rockland, Orléans, Ottawa as far west as Bronson).

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to call (Stephanie, 613-488-3589) or e-mail us. We would be happy to speak with you!

Here is what we have planned for the baskets:

Week 1: cress, asian vegetable, lettuces, bunching onions, snowpeas, radish, rapini, spinach.

Week 2: arugula, mesclun, lettuces, spinach, snowpeas, summer turnip, radish, mustard greens, mint.

Week 3: lettuces, mesclun, summer turnip, bunching onions, beets, cilantro, asian vegetable, sunflower sprouts.

Week 4: lettuces, beets, radish, carrots, cress, kohlrabi, rapini, alfalfa sprouts, salad burnet.

Week 5: lettuces, radish, carrots, bunching onions, kohlrabi, asian vegetable, swiss chard, sunflower sprouts, mesclun.

Week 6: lettuces, carrots, cabbage, swiss chard, beets, summer turnip, broccoli, summer squash, dill.

Week 7: lettuces, carrots, summer squash, cucumber, bunching onions, asian vegetable, sunflower sprouts, broccoli.

Week 8: lettuces, carrots, summer squash, cucumber, cabbage, beets, cherry tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, garlic, basil.

Week 9: lettuces, summer squash, cucumber, green beans, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, daikon radish, parsley.

Week 10: lettuces, summer squash, cucumber, yellow beans, tomatoes, tomatillo, swiss chard, garlic, cilantro.

Week 11: lettuces, summer squash, cucumber, green beans, tomatoes, fennel, radicchio, red onions, basil.

Week 12: lettuces, tomatoes, sweet peppers, cabbage, tomatillo, potatoes, hot peppers, beets, garlic, cilantro.

Week 13: lettuces, carrots, sweet peppers, melon, asian vegetable, onions, swiss chard, kohlrabi, mesclun, parsley.

Week 14: lettuces, carrots, celeriac, arugula, potatoes, fennel, radish, dill.

Week 15: lettuces, carrots, onions, asian vegetable, snowpeas, mesclun, winter squash, ground cherries, summer turnip, parsley.

Week 16: lettuces, carrots, bunching onions, winter squash, potatoes, beets, jerusalem artichokes, kale, alfalfa sprouts.

Week 17: lettuces, carrots, winter squash, rutabaga, radish, mesclun, chinese cabbage, sunflower sprouts, parsley.